Farida’s Dilemma A recent incident at Ram’s Supermarket which was blown out of proportion is a sad indictment of the society in which we live. Farida Hobson, while shopping at Ram’s Supermarket, picked up the case of milk her family purchases weekly. She arrived at the cashier and said, “Don’t forget to cash the case of milk under there.” Thinking her purchase was complete she paid the cashier and left. She was shocked to be told the milk was not paid for. She was surprised. “I told the cashier not to forget the milk,” she told the manager. Not having more cash on her or blank cheques to pay for the milk, she drove home to get some method of payment for the milk which is a weekly necessity in the Hobson home. Her father, not knowing that Farida had made a milk purchase, as is customary, arrived at Ram’s and purchased another case of milk. Nevis had another cannibal session. Ms Hobson’s name was dragged in the mud. A caller to a popular talk show literally slandered Ms Hobson. To take the time to think that this story did not make sense was too much for a society more interested in pulling one another down and dragging each other’s names in the mud. It was an honest oversight as Hilary, who was standing next to Farida, points out: “I was there and heard Farida telling the cashier not to forget the milk,” Hilary said. Much needs to be done to clean up this society. Our zeal to pull down others will do nothing to bring much needed and improved order and decency in our society. The home, the school and the church. Long ago the church was the institution that was used to carry out most of these functions. Sorry to say though, it is a preacher, local or otherwise, who often is involved in spreading rumours and by his or her actions causes the most discord. As a nation we need to pray for our conversion and our prayer shall be: “Lord, create in me a clean heart and, Lord, convert our preacher. Amen.” Where Is The Outrage? Today’s issue of The Observer includes the story of a 90-year-old woman who recently suffered through an invasion of her home by two intruders in the darkest hours of the night. The men apparently thought she was asleep as they went about their nefarious business. Choosing to remain silent, the woman was not physically harmed, but her ordeal was terrifying. The reason The Observer has this story at all is because friends of the victim came forward and the lady was kind enough to tell us her story to share with our readers. The information was not provided by the police, though officials confirmed her story was true. While this story is not, in any way, pleasant to report, we feel it is vital to do so for the sake of public safety. People need to know what is going on in order to make responsible decisions about personal security. We recognize the crime stories do not improve the image of the Federation, but we believe it is more important to report what is really happening than it is to reinforce fantasies propagated by some. What happened to this woman is both frightening and outrageous. That prompts the question: So where is the outrage? Where are public demonstrations calling on the government to provide better security? When are civic leaders going to risk their cozy relationships with the government by demanding citizens be better protected? When are people going to shout, “No More!”? Murder, home invasions, assaults, burglaries, armed robberies ” all horrible events, but they are sad facts of life in the Federation. Remaining silent or pretending they don’t happen will only encourage a continuation of the current status quo, which puts a lot of people at risk and distresses an otherwise peaceful, law-abiding society. It’s time to look hard at outrageous acts and find the outrage. Pick Them Up The Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority has a derelict vehicle amnesty period that will continue until the end of October. Nevis residents wishing to have junk cars and trucks removed from their property, may accomplish this free of charge by calling the agency at 469 -1762. The deal is pretty simple: There is a limit of two vehicles removed for free per property for private owners. Garages and auto repair shops may have an unlimited number removed, but will be required to pay the Authority a towing fee of $50. We urge everyone to take advantage of this offer and to do so at the earliest possible moment. Waiting until Oct. 31 may cause you to miss out on the deal. The Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority, which is looking into ways to reduce plastic bag use on the island and other pro-environment actions, is again demonstrating excellent thinking and fine leadership. Getting junk vehicles out of sight makes Nevis a more beautiful place. Other agencies should do themselves a favor and watch how the Authority shows the government can be a force for positive results.
